THE WATERCOOLER HEADPHONE EDITION – Headphones, Amps, DACs, and desktop/home audio related – a freewheeling discussion of gear, impressions, music, and musings.

[Aetherhole]

Grumpy Goose stands came in yesterday! Too busy to get them set up and pictures taken, but had time this morning.

Wow, they sell out incredibly fast, though. Not the original colors I wanted, but still extremely happy with them.

Wenge with Ebony tips.

 

[tfenton02]

Grumpy Goose stands came in yesterday! Too busy to get them set up and pictures taken, but had time this morning.




Wow, they sell out incredibly fast, though. Not the original colors I wanted, but still extremely happy with them.

Wenge with Ebony tips.

I’m to distracted by the lambo!

 

[Aetherhole]

I’m to distracted by the lambo!

I’m a sucker for Lego/Technic, so the Lambo (and McLaren up top) had to make their appearance!

 

[tfenton02]

I’m a sucker for Lego/Technic, so the Lambo (and McLaren up top) had to make their appearance!

Quite a bit of eye candy tucked into 1 photo.

 

[balvan]

Anyone here tried the Chinese headphones brands - NAN, XK Audio, Tang
I don't mean the clones\imitations (although they probably are behind those), I mean the original products.

 

[goldwerger]

Grumpy Goose stands came in yesterday! Too busy to get them set up and pictures taken, but had time this morning.




Wow, they sell out incredibly fast, though. Not the original colors I wanted, but still extremely happy with them.

Wenge with Ebony tips.

Grumpy Goose stands are just so beautiful. The quality of Chris' workmanship is outstanding and they really fit all headphones very well. I espeically love the look of these wooden stands with ZMF's headphones for the ultimate wood esthetic..

Speaking of which, I'm in ZMF Caldera listening heaven today. Spending time this afternoon listening to them through both the Decware Taboo MK4 as a standalone amp, as well as in combo with the Decware/ZMF Reference OTL as preamp (my erstwhile favorite combo for Caldera has been this combo with the Taboo MK2.5).

The OTL doesn't always impact an audible impact as a preamp, but in this setup it's a big needle mover sonically. I can't decide which option I prefer better, but both options sound incredibly seductive: clear like crystal water from a spring, with incredible staging. Just.. so natural soudning.

The Taboo MK4 on its own is lush and grounded; it has a very distinct center image and a satisfying reverb that makes the notes sound organic. With the Decware OTL added, there is an added sense of air coupled with an expanded soundstage. Everything feels a bit lighter, like red wine that had time to breath.

I'm really enjoying two features that were added to the Taboo MK4 after the MK2.5 (which, otherwise, sound rather similar): First, the optionally added XLR inputs, side-by-side with RCA inputs, let me change source on the fly (in this case, from the OTL pre as input via RCA to direct DAC input via XLR; letting me quickly flick the switches on the Taboo and, with volume matched, compare and choose which I prefer). Second, “Lucid Mode” is now not merely an on/off switch but a variable dial. Lucid Mode is some kind of cross-feed voodoo. Usually I don't play with that stuff, but the ability to dial this in to taste creates a wonderful sense of space that remains natural sounding - a very big uplift when done to one's taste. Other useful feature differences between these amps that I may have mentioned before include a low/high gain switch that expands the amp use case to medium sensitivity headphones, and an actual headphone outputs on the amp. I'm having such a blast!

I'm in a Rock and Roll mood right now, and "I love Rock'N'Roll" by the Joan Jett & the Blackhearts really hits the spot for some fun head-bobbing/toe-tapping..

Earlier, I was enjoying a unique singing cover of "Take Five" by Japanese singer JUJU. It's a well made recording. Recommended..

Happy weekend everyone!

 

[chrisnyc75]

I don't know if this is more a 2ch thing, but regardless it feels like an older and outdated term (which to me simply means well resolving/detailed)
simiar to PRaT not being much used as it once was (which to me simply means dynamic/energetic)

PRAT makes no sense to me. Pace, rhythm, & timing are in the music/recording, not the hardware. If your hardware has any effect whatsoever on the pace, rhythm, or timing of the music it means your hardware is broken.

This got me thinking, how has your approach to music listening evolved since you became an audiophile, and has this changed your appreciation for different genres?

Let us know your experiences!

It depends on what you mean by "audiophile". I've self-identified as an audiophile for about 25 years, but have only been in this high end headphone/electronics space for about 5 years. Before that, my audiophilia was born of time spent in various nightclubs and performance spaces, learning to appreciate how different electronics and acoustics changed the listening experience, but I had no means - financially or informationally - to get deep into the game. Rather, I got very creative with my PC-based audio, finding unique creative ways to optimize the signal sent to my AIO receiver & speakers. Lacking any obvious way or means to get the gear that would optimize my home listening, I created my own ways of doing so with what I had access to (much of which I am still proud of today).

Since getting fully into the gear/headphone game, I've gone deep down the jazz rabbit hole, and deeper into the fringes of avant-garde electronica than I did previously, though I think I would chalk these things up to the availability of streaming services more than anything else. Although, in the early days of my jazz journey there was a lot of watching audiophile youtube videos and saving artists & albums that were mentioned to my playlist as suggestions to explore next, so from that perspective, yeah I guess this head-fi audiophilia thing has been pivotal in my pivot (pun totally intended) from mainstream electronica to jazz & avant-garde.

 

[theveterans]

PRAT makes no sense to me. Pace, rhythm, & timing are in the music/recording, not the hardware. If your hardware has any effect whatsoever on the pace, rhythm, or timing of the music it means your hardware is broken.

It boils down to jitter consistency and noise. Bad jitter and bad noise result to less "PRaT"

 

[CharlyBrown]

Grumpy Goose stands are just so beautiful. The quality of Chris' workmanship is outstanding and they really fit all headphones very well. I espeically love the look of these wooden stands with ZMF's headphones for the ultimate wood esthetic..



Speaking of which, I'm in ZMF Caldera listening heaven today. Spending time this afternoon listening to them through both the Decware Taboo MK4 as a standalone amp, as well as in combo with the Decware/ZMF Reference OTL as preamp (my erstwhile favorite combo for Caldera has been this combo with the Taboo MK2.5).

The OTL doesn't always impact an audible impact as a preamp, but in this setup it's a big needle mover sonically. I can't decide which option I prefer better, but both options sound incredibly seductive: clear like crystal water from a spring, with incredible staging. Just.. so natural soudning.

The Taboo MK4 on its own is lush and grounded; it has a very distinct center image and a satisfying reverb that makes the notes sound organic. With the Decware OTL added, there is an added sense of air coupled with an expanded soundstage. Everything feels a bit lighter, like red wine that had time to breath.

I'm really enjoying two features that were added to the Taboo MK4 after the MK2.5 (which, otherwise, sound rather similar): First, the optionally added XLR inputs, side-by-side with RCA inputs, let me change source on the fly (in this case, from the OTL pre as input via RCA to direct DAC input via XLR; letting me quickly flick the switches on the Taboo and, with volume matched, compare and choose which I prefer). Second, “Lucid Mode” is now not merely an on/off switch but a variable dial. Lucid Mode is some kind of cross-feed voodoo. Usually I don't play with that stuff, but the ability to dial this in to taste creates a wonderful sense of space that remains natural sounding - a very big uplift when done to one's taste. Other useful feature differences between these amps that I may have mentioned before include a low/high gain switch that expands the amp use case to medium sensitivity headphones, and an actual headphone outputs on the amp. I'm having such a blast!



I'm in a Rock and Roll mood right now, and "I love Rock'N'Roll" by the Joan Jett & the Blackhearts really hits the spot for some fun head-bobbing/toe-tapping..



Earlier, I was enjoying a unique singing cover of "Take Five" by Japanese singer JUJU. It's a well made recording. Recommended..




Happy weekend everyone!

All these beauties lined up!

And to the Caldera:

Caldera has taken my heart by storm.

 

[energie]

Hello, I recently bought hifiman he1000 stealth and while I like the details I’m missing some low end impact and body.
Any advice for an hp around the same price?
Just for reference something like Annihilator 2023 iem is my taste

 

[shabta]

Hello, I recently bought hifiman he1000 stealth and while I like the details I’m missing some low end impact and body.
Any advice for an hp around the same price?
Just for reference something like Annihilator 2023 iem is my taste

The Austrian Audio Composer. Much better low end, treble is more natural. It's a bright headphone, but so is the he1000 stealth. I love the anni23, fwiw.

The composer is a bit of a chameleon. For me, it's at it's best on a decent tube amp. My Composer is in love with an Icon Audio HP8

 

[energie]

The Austrian Audio Composer. Much better low end, treble is more natural. It's a bright headphone, but so is the he1000 stealth. I love the anni23, fwiw.

The composer is a bit of a chameleon. For me, it's at it's best on a decent tube amp. My Composer is in love with an Icon Audio HP8

Thanks for the input, I like bright hp or iems

 

[goldwerger]

Hello, I recently bought hifiman he1000 stealth and while I like the details I’m missing some low end impact and body.
Any advice for an hp around the same price?
Just for reference something like Annihilator 2023 iem is my taste

I was just describing to another Head-Fier the Kennerton Vinneta as the haedphone equivalent of the Anni 23 (though that really depends on the pads used: this statement is true with the suede pads that make them a treble resolution monster, whereas the leather pads make them much more bassy, depending on one's calibration/taste).

I created my own ways of doing so with what I had access to (much of which I am still proud of today)

Would love to hear what you've cooked up there. Sometimes, lack of means and necessity are the best fertile ground for the creative solutions..

 

[energie]

I was just describing to another Head-Fier the Kennerton Vinneta as the haedphone equivalent of the Anni 23 (though that really depends on the pads used: this statement is true with the suede pads that make them a treble resolution monster, whereas the leather pads make them much more bassy, depending on one's calibration/taste).



Would love to hear what you've cooked up there. Sometimes, lack of means and necessity are the best fertile ground for the creative solutions..

That’s too expensive

 

[betula]

Hello, I recently bought hifiman he1000 stealth and while I like the details I’m missing some low end impact and body.
Any advice for an hp around the same price?
Just for reference something like Annihilator 2023 iem is my taste

The HE1000 Stealth here goes around £1000. For that money if you want more low-end and body, I would recommend looking into Audeze LCD-2 or LCD-X. Alternatively, if you don't necessarily want planars, you could check out the new ZMF Bokeh open. HE1000 sounds large, airy, quite detailed but thin and light. None of the three headphones I mentioned will match the size of soundstage, but they all offer a thicker sound with more body and impact. LCD-X is on similar technical (detail retrieval) level, but the LCD-2 and the Bokeh open not quite. They do compensate with other treats though. LCD-2 is a little warmer, more 'euphonic' than the X. X is a bit more detailed and technical (and flatter, so you might want to EQ a little bass shelf). Both are more impactful than the HiFiMan. The new ZMF dynamic offers incredible bass slam, yet quite an open treble. ZMF is famous for a very natural, lifelike texture and timbre as well as a generous but tasteful bass quantity. The Bokeh open is not as technical as the planars in this post, but perhaps the most engaging and most fun. There are probably more contenders around £1K, but this is just from the top of my head.